The first win is always exhilarating. Coming up from behind with that out-of-nowhere knock out is one of the greatest feelings ever. The look of disappointment on the opponents face makes the victory all the sweeter. But this is only the first round; it’s way too early to get cocky.

I’m not much of a competitive gamer. I have always preferred the comfort of my own bedroom to the loud crowd of an event hall. That doesn’t always stop me from venturing out from my dark little “cave” to get my fix. Soul Calibur has always been my specialty, specifically Soul Calibur 3 and 4. I never played in anything big, usually just a small tournament with a group of friends with gloating rights for prizes. In 2010, I attended Anime Iowa in Coralville, IA with my college anime club. While there, I was able to partake in a Soul Calibur 4 tournament. I didn’t win, but the rounds I did were some of the most heart racing fights I have ever had.

Playing video games for competition has been around for nearly as long as video games themselves. The first of which was the Space Invaders Competition held by Atari in 1980. Since then, competitive gaming has evolved into a worldwide phenomenon.

Soul Calibur barely scratches the surface of what can pass for a competitive game these days. Any type of game can be turned into tournament fodder. Ranging from the burning rubber of racing games like Go Speed and Mario Kart 64, to the heart-stopping shooters of Halo and Counter Strike, to fast-paced real-time-strategy games of DOTA and Star Craft 2. They come in many shapes and can be played nearly anywhere.

Just this last October, I had the opportunity to work with EPX Studios at the University of Iowa to put on a gaming competition. We had five simultaneous tournaments for Halo: Reach, Marvel Vs Capcom, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, League of Legends, and FIFA. We spent several months putting this thing together, had more set backs then what we thought was possible, and in the end we were able to pull together something we could be proud of. People showed up, the tournaments went smoothly, and nobody got hurt in the process. With the first EPX Arena completed, we wasted no time planning out the details for round two.

When I started working with EPX Studios, I was still a little wet behind the ears when it came to competitive gaming. I’ve been told about how big these tournaments can get and I know there are people who take these competitions seriously, but I was still lax on the details.

While working out the details for the tournament, I got to know this guy named Rayce Ebenson, an electronic engineer major. While talking with him I have come learn that he is the lead organizer for the University of Iowa’s DOTA and Star Craft 2 teams, for which he plays.

Both Star Craft 2: Wings of liberty and DOTA are real-time-strategy games. Blizzard Entertainment released star Craft 2 on July 27, 2010 for Microsoft Windows and OS X. In the game, players command units of solders, weapons and vehicles to complete missions.

DOTA, or Defense of the Ancients, is a multiplayer online battle arena mod for Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos, which was released in 2002. In DOTA, players control groups of heroes, which are used to take out their opponent’s Ancients, heavily guarded structures found in opposing corners of the map. At the beginning of each round, players start at level one and level up during the match, buying weapons and upgrades along the way. The game runs on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, and Mac OS X. A stand-alone sequel for DOTA is currently in the works.

“We started up the Star Craft league two years ago and the DOTA league is new this year.” Ebenson said in an Interview”

His Star Craft team plays in the Star Craft Collegiate League, where his team has gone 5-0 so far in their division. Ebenson says that they have had it pretty easy so far this season and expects to face some much more difficult opponents in the semi-finals. His team’s goal is to do better then last year and to at least make it further then the semi-finals.

“Last year we placed second in our division in Star Craft, our division was like ten teams.” Ebenson said,” We made it to the play offs and got to the second round where we lost. That was like the top 32 teams in the nation, could have been top 64 I’m not sure.”

Matches are played all online, no traveling required. Because Star Craft 2 isn’t designed for team matches, games are played best of five. Each member of the team plays in a 1-vs-1 game with the team who has the most wins out of five as victor.

Those who make it through the first few rounds and finish first in their regional semi-finals go on to play in the championships, which was held in California. Last year, the team that came out on top won a cash prize of $20.000. This year, Ebenson says the cash prize will be $40,000.

On top of the collegiate league, his Star Craft team plays in the Star Craft LAN (local area network) tournaments. These competitions require players to travel to specific areas and allow any college teams to join, even if they haven’t registered their team in Star Craft Collegiate League. Last year, Ebenson’s team traveled to Minnesota for the Mid-Western LAN tournament.

DOTA, being a completely brand new league, is going to be a just-for-fun tournament this time around. As the game picks up steam and gathers sponsors, the DOTA league will also be able to support a cash prize

I am a god. I have absolute control over the world around me. Mountains fall and in their place kingdoms of grand design rise whenever I see fit. This is my world. This is my domain. This is Minecraft. Well, Minecraft- Pocket Edition anyways.

On august 16, 2011 Mojang Aktiebolag released a mobile adaptation of the PC game. It was originally released as an Xperia play exclusive, but was eventually released for Android and IOS devices later that same year. When the game was initially released, I have to say it was really disappointing. Its only feature was a creative mode, which, like the classic version, allowed players to interact with the environment and build with different blocks.

It’s been several updates since Minecraft – Pocket Edition was first released and the game has come along ways. It now includes a survival mode much a kin to the classic edition, minus a few mobs, some block types, and the whole story aspect. More block types have been added to build with and creative mode runs a lot smoother.

In its new and improved form, I really enjoy this game. I like being able to take it with me where ever I go and build a little here and there whenever I have a little time to spare. Being a college student at a rather large university, I spend a lot of time riding buses between classes and being able to whip out my iPad to touch up on my creations helps kill the seemingly long trips. And for only $6.99, this has been a great investment in the long run.

The game has also taught me a little about myself; like that I might be a little OCD. I never thought that have my castle be asymmetric by only one block leangth would bother me so much, but I found myself tearing down entire portions of my creations just so that it would be symmetric. I have lost several hours to the voice in my head telling me that it has to be perfect.

Minecraft – Pocket Edition isn't very expensive as far as games go and is great for anyone who’s a fan of the classic edition. It is lacking a few components, but being able to take it with you wherever you go more then makes up for it. And with new updates coming out every few months, the game is slowly getting closer and closer to being like its PC counterpart.

The Keepers: Lost Progeny is a first person puzzle game released by Big Fish Games Inc. for the iPhone and iPad. A demo for the game is available and free to play and covers the first chapter of the game. The rest of the game can be purchased in game for a small fee.

The story plays out as though you are the protagonist. You were sent a mysterious picture a letter luring you to the town of Rutland with promises of revealing the secrets to your lost past. Upon arriving to Rutland, you find that the town is mostly abandoned with the buildings on the verge of collapse, and the streets are fissured with flames spewing out as if Hell itself is trying to break free. You must find out who sent you the information all the while uncovering the dark secrets hidden within the town.

The game plays more like an interactive story more then anything else. The player progresses by tapping different areas of the screen in order to uncover clues, items, and puzzles. The items you collect are stored on the bottom of the screen and can be dragged and dropped into different areas on the screen to help solve problems. The game has a variety of different puzzles to solve with the majority of them playing out like a game of ISPY. If at any time you get stuck, the game has a hint button on the lower right corner that will quickly get you back on track.

The game was really easy, yet still enjoyable. It didn’t demand too much of my time and was easy to pick up and play whenever I had a few minutes of spare time. The art style is gorgeous and extraordinarily detailed, which added to the enjoyment. It’s definitely not for everyone, but for those who enjoy a fun mystery and only have a little free time to spend playing games, this game is worth checking out.

I’m not one to play demos very often. I don’t have the money to buy all the games that I want, so playing the trial version makes as much sense as going to a car lot test drive cars I’ll never own. Of course there are other reasons to avoid demos, but my logic falls more along these lines then anything else. Why get excited over nothing? So when I say that I couldn’t wait to try out the beta for Playstation All-Stars: Battle Royale, that should tell you something.

The Beta went live on Oct. 16 for those lucky enough to have a Playstation Vita or Playstation Plus. For the rest of us, we had to wait for Oct. 24 for the game to become available for download. This was going to be my first beta ever, so I was pretty excited.

The game is simple enough. You get six different characters to choose from; Colonel Radec (Kill Zone), Fat Princess (Fat Princess), Kratos (God of War), PaRappa the Rapper (PaRappa), Sweet Tooth (Twisted Metal), and Sly Cooper (Sly Cooper). The playing field is randomly selected between Hades (God Of War invaded by Patapon) and Metropolis (Ratchet and Clank invaded by God of War). The matches last only a few minutes long and you can either play against three other players online or team up with a friend and play against another team.

The objective of the game is to get more kills then your opponents. To get kills, you must fill up your special meter by beating on your opponents or collecting special orbs. Each character has three different specials that activate depending on how full your meter is. The fuller your meter is, the stronger the attack and the more players you can take out.

Surprisingly, each character plays very differently and appropriately for their personas. Kratos uses his chains and blades to hit hard and fills up his meter quickly. on the other hand, Radec uses guns to fight from a distance but fills up a bit more slowly. I tended to enjoy playing as Sly Cooper the most. His attacks are a bit weaker then others, but his combination of bombs, aerial maneuvers, and sacrificing the ability to block in favor of turning invisible to sneak up on opponents or hide from their specials made him feel the most versatile of the available characters.

The beta did have its problems. Several matches would get cancelled due to server connection errors and I sometimes found myself playing as different character then I had selected. That being said, I enjoyed this game immensely. Hours would pass by without me realizing it. I’m looking forward to the game's official release and can’t wait to give the other characters a spin.

I know there are plenty of naysayers out there who think that the very idea of an actual zombie is ridiculous. I know that science proves that the traditional zombie as we know them are impossible. I’m not stupid, but I understand the importance of being prepared for the worst-case scenario. I don’t want to be caught off guard when that old guy that died of a heart attack last week comes back with a serious case of the munchies, so I study up. I read survival guides, watch more movies then I care to admit, and play the occasional game. I want to be ready.

A little bit ago I started to play Dead Island, and I found that it offers a rather interesting perspective of how the end of days will go down. Here I have provided a brief guide to what I have learned over the course of the game.

1.Not all zombies are the same.

Like people, zombies in Dead Island come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and athletic capabilities; which makes sense since zombies used to be people. Some zombies may be fat and slow while others may be scrawny and quick on their feet. Regardless of their physical build, all zombies still have one thing in common; they are extremely stupid. As soon as you’re out of their range of sight, they tend to forget you were there and return to the bodies they were previously chewing on.

2.Zombies are picky eaters.

While running around the island resort, I couldn’t help but notice something peculiar about the bodies the zombies were eating. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that they were, for the most part, intact. The only thing missing was the victim’s skin, which seemed to have been surgically removed. The only explanation is that the zombies are very careful about what they eat. They don't want any of that muscle tissue weighing them down and keeping them from killing other tourists.

3.Energy Drink is the nectar of the gods.

No matter what’s ailing you, whether it be horrendous gashes, burns, or broken bones, a good old can of Energy Drink will fix you right up. Too bad you can’t take one for the road…

4.High-end hotels go for the cheap stuff.

The end of the world couldn’t have picked a better place to start. The island setting in Dead Island is gorgeous with its miles of sandy beaches, bright sunny skies and five star hotels. The breathtaking scenery is almost enough to make you forget that everyone wants to eat you. This place is obviously expensive, so what’s with all the cheap crap lying around? You’d think that a hotel of this stature could spring for something a little higher quality then some homemade knives. I mean, couldn’t they have gone for some brand name materials. Because the hotel was too cheap to buy anything good, I’m stuck fighting zombies with something some random guy made in their hut. Thanks guys.

My fight against the zombie hordes in the tropical paradise has only just began, so I’m sure there is still a lot to learn about the enemy. For now, I hope that this guide will help someone as they too prepare for the world’s end. To them, I wish the best of luck.